Konami launches MGS3 Camo Campaign and MGS comic book

Konami has launched the promised Metal Gear Solid 3 "Camouflage Campaign" this week, and announced plans for a Metal Gear Solid comic book later this year, all the while the game has been wowing audiences in both trailer and playable demo form at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles.

The Camouflage Campaign, announced by series creator Hideo Kojima earlier this year, gives fans the chance to create their own camouflage concepts and submit them for consideration by the Konami Computer Entertainment Japan team. The best will eventually be incorporated into the game, with the authors earning a mention in the game's end credits.

Full details can be found on the Konami website, and fans are welcome to submit designs any time between now (May 12th) and June 30th. Winners will be announced at the Tokyo Game Show in Japan. As previously disclosed by Konami, a core set of camouflage patterns devised by the dev team will eventually be joined by freely available alternatives on PS2 Online.

The comic book, meanwhile, is a collaboration with IDW Publishing and will be penned by Ashley Wood (artist) and Kris Oprisko (writer), whose previous collective experience includes the Spawn comic and TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The first volume of the comic is due out this September in the States, and we'd hope that it makes it out in the UK and Europe too.

It also has the full backing of Hideo Kojima, who claims to have "always been a fan" of Ashley Wood. "I am very glad that Metal Gear Solid will be made into a comic with his talented artwork," he said in a statement. "I have a lot of confidence in the people at IDW Publishing who understand the world of Metal Gear Solid. I have great hope for this new development of the series through the work of these people.â€? Let's all hope he's right to trust them.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (i.e. the game) should ship in Europe within Konami's current financial year, which ends at the end of next March. However all the trailers at E3 point to a winter 2004 release in the States.

For more on MGS3, check out our full impressions of the demo playable at E3 this week, or just download a copy of the awe-inspiring trailer, which ought to prove a feast for fanboys and neutrals alike.